Rudd no different to Howard: Tamils

By his treatment of Tamil asylum-seekers, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had proved himself no better than former prime minister John Howard, the Secretary of the Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations, Victor Rajakulendran, said yesterday.

His view was echoed by a prominent member of Canberra's Tamil community who asked not to be identified because of previous threats against him. The man, who has lived in Australia for more than 30 years, said lobbying by various Tamil associations in Australia seemed to be falling on deaf ears.
''I am thoroughly disappointed with Mr Rudd's stand,'' the man said. ''He is no different to Mr Howard.''
He said the Labor Party had abandoned Tamils because of political opportunism.
Dr Rajakulendran said the Labor Government had been elected on a promise of changing everything. But with the number of boats increasing; with an election in Australia this year and the Opposition playing politics, the Government was going back on its promises and introducing draconian measures.
The association had pleaded with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for a bipartisan approach to asylum-seekers. But the Government and Opposition were seeking to score political points with the Government toughening its stand by suspending applications by asylum-seekers from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and reopening the Curtin Detention Centre.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, has urged the Australian Government to discourage Tamil asylum-seekers. He said Tamils were treated fairly in Sri Lanka and would create a breeding ground for separatism in Australia.
The Canberra man, an Australian citizen, said Tamils who had been scattered throughout the world, including 300,000 in Canada, lived peacefully.